The Wasp — 1879 — page 370: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page features satirical illustrations of séances and spiritualism—a popular late-19th-century phenomenon. The text humorously describes a "Wasp man" interviewing spirits of the dead, including a departed ruler and Peter the Great. The cartoons depict ghostly figures in exaggerated poses—some disheveled, others comically positioned—mocking the theatrical nature of séance performances. The satire targets spiritualism's credibility: the text notes skepticism about whether these "spirits" are genuine or fraudulent mediums exploiting believers. The illustrations ridicule both spiritualist practitioners and gullible participants who paid for contact with the deceased. This reflects widespread contemporary skepticism toward spiritualism, despite its cultural popularity among the era's educated classes.